Online Catalog Enhancements Evaluation

Give your patrons exciting new content, including recommendations, tag clouds, series and awards data, a virtual shelf browser, and the ability to write reviews, rankings, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how to evaluate LibraryThing for Libraries, ChiliFresh, and Jaunter.

Strategic Plan Dashboard

This 'dashboard' has been developed as a resource to quickly access the VLC's progress on its stated goals as part of the 2011 strategic planning process (2011-2015). Monitoring and reporting progress on long-range strategic goals included in the strategic plan is an essential component of the accountability process.

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Library Technology Reports

Current news from the library technology industry. Includes press releases and other announcments from companies involved in the library technology industry. Compiled by Marshall Breeding, new entries added within 1 day of receipt. http://librarytechnology.org.

(February 26, 2020). OCLC and the Public Library Association (PLA) today issued Call to Action: Public Libraries and the Opioid Crisis, a report that offers tested strategies to consider as libraries determine local responses to the nationwide public health emergency.

(February 26, 2020). Follett has released Destiny 17.5, a new version of the solution featuring important enhancements to Destiny Library Manager, Destiny Resource Manager, Destiny Discover, and Collections by Destiny. Used in more than 60 percent of U.S. public schools, Destiny is Follett's market-leading platform for library management, digital content, and resource management.

(February 26, 2020). Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the National Library of Israel has gone live with the Ex Libris Alma® library services platform, which will now be handling the management of the library's sizeable, and growing, collections; promoting collaboration with local and international institutions; and supporting the library's move to its remarkable new home.The National Library of Israel holds the largest collection of knowledge and unique materials focused on Jewish civilization and the history and culture of Israel, in addition to vast collections on Islam and the Middle East. Perhaps more than any other institution in the Jewish world, the library encompasses a wealth of research on the Jewish experience over the last three millennia. Expanding the library's collaboration with local and international libraries and heritage institutions and exposing its collections to new audiences around the globe are key elements of the library's mission.

(February 26, 2020). Gale, a Cengage company, announced the launch of Gale Presents: Udemy, a new online learning platform for public libraries  powered by Udemy for Business  that provides patrons access to over 4,000 high-quality, on-demand video courses taught by world-class instructors across more than 75 categories. Now libraries can provide patrons with a personalized learning experience to gain the skills they need to compete in today's economy.

(February 25, 2020). The Eastern Academic Scholars' Trust (EAST) is pleased to announce that twelve libraries within the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium are joining the EAST shared print program. These libraries will join the Loyola - Notre Dame Library, a fellow USMAI member, which has been an EAST member since early 2017.

(February 25, 2020). Three university libraries  the University of Edinburgh, the University of Texas at Dallas and Southern Methodist University  have gone live with ProQuest Rialto, and librarians are already seeing positive results.

(February 25, 2020). Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce enhancements to the Ex Libris Pivot research funding database, a comprehensive resource for global funding opportunities sources. The new Awarded Grants feature in Pivot enables researchers and research offices to gain valuable insights by searching millions of previously awarded grants from dozens of leading international funders. Pivot curates and normalizes the awarded grants data that is presented, and further matches grants to scholars' profiles and current funding opportunities. Researchers and research offices can leverage advanced search features to easily navigate across the awarded-grant information and zoom in on the most relevant awards to their interests and areas of specialization.

(February 25, 2020). As the nation's public librarians gather for the Public Library Association (PLA) Conference in Nashville, OverDrive announced its Vision 2030. This multi-year initiative will build on the success librarians are experiencing using digital books and mobile apps to reach and provide access to all parts of the community including underserved segments to help bridge the digital divide. In the OverDrive Booth #823 at the PLA Conference, OverDrive will provide detail on Vision 2030 and the key components designed to target 100 million new readers. In addition, public librarians will present how their libraries are currently using digital books and OverDrive technologies to achieve these goals.

(February 24, 2020). Fujitsu announced the launch of Ufinity for Public, a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering for public libraries throughout Japan, extending from the prefectural level to local municipalities. The next-generation library service is designed to bring greater convenience to both library patrons and staff through portal sites. The service includes features that make it easy to create and update a library portal site, along with features for administering interlibrary loans(1) and staff communication over the web. The portal site provides a searchable environment that is convenient for patrons and staff to use for library news or checking and searching on new-acquisitions data. In addition, a horizontal search function can simultaneously search not only public libraries within a prefecture but also the collections in university libraries, museums, and other affiliated institutions, making it quick and efficient for patrons and staff to reserve and send away for books. As the service is provided in the SaaS model hosted at Fujitsu's datacenters and accessed over the Internet, libraries can start using it quickly and inexpensively, with no need for costly investments in ICT resources. Fujitsu offered WebiLis in September 2010 under the SaaS model as its first effort in supporting the "regional general library" concept in Japan. The new service, being Fujitsu's second offering, is intended to enhance the role of regional libraries as information sources and strengthen links between libraries.

(February 24, 2020). The Library Corporation today announced that John Burns has been appointed to the position of Chief Operating Officer, based out of global headquarters in Inwood, W.Va. Formerly TLC's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, John will continue to report to Annette Murphy, President, and CEO of The Library Corporation.

(February 22, 2020). As part of Eclat Engineering's strategic growth plan to widen its product offering and expand its global reach, the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Ritchie. As the former Director of Libraries at PressReader, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and relevant experience to Eclat Engineering. He will work alongside CEO, Jatin Baraiya, to strengthen the Company's market potential by building a high performing business development team, seeking new market opportunities and executing on the strategic plan at a global scale.

(February 20, 2020). EnvisionWare, a leading provider of self-service and library efficiency solutions, announced the company will unveil both its new Reservation Service software and its revolutionary CloudNine platform at the PLA conference in Nashville.The Reservation Service leverages all the flexibility and features of the world's leading library computer reservation product, PC Reservation plus many additional features and a completely new product architecture. With the Reservation Service, patrons can easily reserve an unlimited variety of resources, including study rooms, tablets, and 3D printers. Library staff can configure which resources are available, and how the reservation process for each individual type of resource will work.

(February 20, 2020). IUN World GmbH goes live on Koha with Admin Kuhn. [Admin Kuhn] Admin Kuhn, a Swiss Koha support company, announced today that the IUN World GmbH in Ismaning, Germany, is now live on Koha! Admin Kuhn completed the transition of the library's 9'300 plus holdings from SHSoft BIB2 and is providing ongoing support services to the library.

(February 20, 2020). OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools, announced the hiring of Angela Arnold as General Manager of OverDrive Education. Arnold brings decades of e-business development and go-to-market skills to drive adoption of its student reading solutions and digital content sales to schools and libraries. In this new role, she reports to OverDrive founder and CEO Steve Potash.

(February 19, 2020). OCLC is accepting nominations for the OCLC Community Engagement Award, a recognition intended to highlight projects that help public libraries extend their reach, build strong partnerships and create programs that transform lives.

(February 17, 2020). Equinox welcomed the Oregon County Library District to Evergreen with their successful migration to the Missouri Evergreen Consortium. The Oregon County Library District's move will support 2,225 patrons and encompass a total of 51,744 bibliographic records. Services provided by Equinox included project management and Evergreen software configuration. Data extraction and bibliographic deduplication were completed as part of their migration encompassing item, patron, and transaction records. Onsite and virtual training were also provided by Equinox.